Agitation

In the process of making solventless hash from cannabis plants, agitation is the act of vigorously shaking and stirring plant material while submerged in ice water. Agitation causes the cold temperature to make trichomes become brittle and break off the plant easily. The plant material is first put into mesh extraction bags, which are then soaked in ice water. The bags of plant matter are then repetitively shaken and stirred, either by hand or using mechanical methods like washing machines. All this motion and disturbance knocks off and separates the trichome resin glands from the larger plant material. Trichomes are small enough to filter through the fine mesh bags, while the ice and water dampen any plant particulate. The end result is pure golden trichomes screening through while the plant biomass remains in the bags. This cold-water extraction method combined with thorough agitation gives higher yields of quality solventless hash compared to dry sifting methods alone. Proper and persistent agitation is key to efficiently removing the maximum trichome content when producing ice water hash.